The present invention relates to a headlight unit for a vehicle, and, more particularly, to a headlight unit for a vehicle comprising at least one low beam headlight and at least one high beam headlight and in which a high beam is propagated by the at least one high beam headlight that fulfills legal regulations for a high beam at least together with the low beam propagated by the at least one low beam headlight.
This type of headlight unit is known from German Patent Application DE 42 38 273 A1. The headlight unit disclosed in this reference has at least one high beam headlight and at least one low beam headlight. A low beam that fulfills legal regulations is propagated by the at least one low beam headlight. In contrast to the low beam a strongly concentrated high beam is propagated by the at least one high beam headlight that fulfills legal regulations for a high beam at least together with the low beam. The legal regulations for the high beam are uniformly prescribed by ECE rules in the European Union. However there are other legal regulations for the high beam prescribed in the SAE rules in the United States of America. Lower maximum light intensities for the center of the high beam are permitted by the SAE regulations than by the ECE regulations. However in contrast to the ECE rules a comparatively stronger horizontal scattering is prescribed by the SAE rules. Usually respective special high beam headlights are developed and manufactured to fulfill the different legal regulations according to the SAE rules and the ECE rules. This however leads to large production and installation expenses for the different high beam headlights.